Power Rangers X-Force (1x02): X-Force Energize, Part 2
by PrinceTrexus89
Summary: After being injured in his latest battle, Tommy Oliver has no choice but to activate Project X-Force, giving its powers to a new generation of Power Rangers.


_"Kelly, look!" gasped Amy. Kelly, still squinting from the light, opened her eyes and looked upon the face of their savior. Her eyes widened, her heart felt like it had jumped into her throat as her body trembled in shock._

_"Dad_!?_"_

"How dare you retreat like a coward!" Emperor Midas growled at his general.

"These humans are very resistant," stated Gilder. "How can such a pathetic race put up so much of a fight?"

"Perhaps _you_ have simply gotten soft with all of these easy conquests," spat the emperor. The general took a step backward, cowering away from his master. It disgusted Emperor Midas to see his general acting like such a coward. "I want you to return to the planet and finish your mission!"

"Sire, I-"

"_Now!_" snapped Midas. "Cowardice will not be tolerated in the Midas Empire! Failure will not be tolerated in the Midas Empire! You were scared off by a warrior in flashy colored spandex and a couple of children! Your cowardice is a disgrace to my Empire, and I demand repentance! Return to the planet and prove your worth to the Empire... or suffer the consequences of your failure!"

Gilder bowed in shame. "I will not fail you, my Lord. Hail the Midas Empire!"

He disappeared in a golden flash.

_X-FORCE! X-FORCE!_

_GO GO, POWER RANGERS! X-Force!_

_Look out, the X-Force is on its way_

_A new generation to save the day_

_Hey, evil forces stay away_

_The Power Rangers are here to stay_

_Rangers save the world_

_GO GO, X-FORCE!_

_Here come the Power Rangers! X-FORCE!_

_Here come the Power Rangers! X-FORCE!_

_Here come the Power Rangers! X-FORCE!_

_X-FORCE! X-FORCE! GO!_

_Here come the Power Rangers! X-FORCE!_

_Here come the Power Rangers! X-FORCE!_

_Here come the Power Rangers! X-FORCE_

_X-FORCE! X-FORCE!_

_GO GO, POWER RANGERS! X-FORCE!_

From the time she was a little girl, Kelly Oliver had always heard stories about the legendary Power Rangers from her parents. They were heroes who defended the world from evil. She, like nearly every other child in Angel Grove, idolized them. But she couldn't have predicted _this_! How could her father never have told her he _was_ one of her legendary heroes!? Yet here he was, lying unconscious, right where the Green Power Ranger that had just saved her life had been moments before.

"This is unreal!" Ray said, gazing at his childhood hero in amazement.

"The science teacher is a Power Ranger?" asked Mark.

"Dude, for a smart guy, you're pretty stupid," Josh said, rolling his eyes. "Have you seriously never heard of Tommy Oliver, one of the greatest martial artists in Angel Grove!?"

"I've heard of Dr. Tommy Oliver, the geology science professor at our school."

"You're such a nerd," Josh laughed.

"Just shut up and help me get him up!" exclaimed Kelly, struggling to pick up her father. "We have to get him home!"

"No one is going anywhere!" roared a voice behind them. General Gilder had returned, complete with a fresh army of Koronoids. "The Midas Empire will _not_ tolerate such disrespect! You will all face the wrath of the Empire!"

"Jeez, do you ever shut up?" Josh groaned. "All you do is talk and talk! Do you even _listen_ to yourself when you talk?"

"Josh, try not to make the big ugly gold brute angry," said Amy. "This guy could crush you without a second thought."

"_Silence, humans!_" exclaimed Gilder. "Koronoids, attack!"

Ray, Josh, and Amy braced themselves to fight again. Kelly and Mark stayed close to Tommy. Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, Kelly noticed something strange happen; a white light surrounded her car, and the next moment it was gone.

"Hey!" she cried. "My car! What happened to my car!?"

The strange disappearances did not end with the car, however, as Ray, Josh, and Amy were suddenly surrounded by the same white light.

"What the-?" exclaimed Josh, looking at his hands in shock.

"What's going on!?" cried Ray, as his body began to dematerialize.

"Kelly!" cried Mark. Kelly turned and, to her horror, the same white light surrounded him as well. The next second, he, like the others, was gone. She looked at Tommy, whose body was surrounded by a bright green light before he too disappeared.

"Now what will you do, child!?" Gilder sneered. Before Kelly could respond, a loud hum filled the air. Gilder froze and turned towards the sky, as did the Koronoids. The clouds were lit by a bright red light, and a moment later, a red blast fell from the sky, like a laser. It reminded Kelly of something out of a science fiction movie. It took a moment to realize that the blast was headed right for _her!_ It was a huge beam of light, and it looked as though it would take out her as well as Gilder and the Koronoids.

The same white light that had taken Kelly's friends, father, and car suddenly reappeared and surrounded her feet.

_This is the end_, she thought frantically. _I can't believe I'm about to be killed by a white light, or a red light, or these weird gold guys! There's so much I wanted to do! I wanted to go to college! I wanted to find a boyfriend! Goodbye, Mom and Dad! I love you guys! _She closed her eyes and waited for the end to come. But it didn't. She heard Gilder let out a roar of pain, then suddenly heard a familiar voice call out her name.

"Kelly! You're okay!"

Kelly opened her eyes and nearly fainted from shock; she was no longer in downtown Angel Grove. Gilder and the Koronoids were gone, and standing in front of her was Amy. They were in a dark, dimly lit room that looked kind of like a military bunker. Kelly looked around and realized that Ray, Josh, and Mark were here as well. Even the car was parked in a nearby hangar. Tommy was lying on a nearby bed, an oxygen mask over his face. And sitting in a computer chair next to him, eyes glued to the monitor was...

"_Mom!?_"

Kimberly Oliver, Kelly's mother, turned and smiled at her daughter.

"You made it, Kelly," she said warmly. "I'm so happy you got out of there in time."

"I don't even know _how_ I got out of there!" Kelly exclaimed. "I don't even... I can't... Mom, _what is going on!?_"

"Where are we?" asked Ray. "I thought those gold guys were gonna kill us for sure!"

"Yeah," added Josh. "I mean one moment we were outside, then the next..." He trailed off, as though he were unsure what he was saying was even truly possible.

"Some kind of instant transportation or something?" asked Amy.

"_Fascinating!_" exclaimed Mark, examining the nearby computer monitor. The downtown area they had been moments before was on the screen. Gilder emerged from the rubble, livid. His Koronoids, now lying in heaps of broken metal and wires, had been destroyed by the strange beam of light. Gilder let out a bellow of frustration and disappeared. Mark was about to push a key on the nearby switchboard when his hand was suddenly slapped by Kimberly.

"Don't touch that," she ordered.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, hiding his face in embarrassment.

"Mom, I still don't understand what's going on!" exclaimed Kelly, starting to feel exasperated. "_Where are we!?_"

"This is Ranger Lab," explained Kimberly, gesturing to the walls around her, "a high-tech facility used to monitor threats to the Earth. However, Kelly, _you _might know it better as the basement."

Kelly blinked, as though she hadn't heard correctly. "Wait, we're at _home_?"

Kimberly nodded.

"This is _our house!?_" Kelly exclaimed, still baffled. Kimberly had to stifle a laugh.

"Yes," she replied. "This is the basement of our home. If you go out that door, you will end up in the living room. Your father built this place shortly after we bought the house."

"How could you never have told me!?" Kelly shouted angrily.

"I just found out about the lab a few weeks ago," Kimberly explained, but Kelly shook her head.

"I'm not talking about the secret lab you've been hiding under our house!" she exclaimed. "I'm referring to the _other_ thing you've been hiding from me my entire life!"

Ray, Josh, and Mark looked at each other awkwardly. A tear ran down Kelly's cheek.

"All my life, you've told me all these stories about the great legendary Power Rangers," she exclaimed, "but you never once thought to tell me _that my own father_ _is_ _one!?_"

"Kelly, honey..." Kimberly tried but Kelly shook her head.

"How could you keep something like that from me, Mom? My _entire life_!?"

"We didn't tell you because we didn't want this to be a part of your life," came a voice from behind her. Kelly spun to see her father now standing, though he was using the nearby table to prop himself up with.

"Dad!?" she exclaimed.

"Tommy, are you all right?" Kimberly said, very concerned. "You should be lying down."

Tommy, however, shook his head. He turned back to Kelly. "Sweetheart, we wanted you to grow up to be a _normal_ girl. We wanted you to live a _normal _life with _normal _friends. A life where you wouldn't have to worry about giant monsters or evil space aliens or any of that."

Ray and Josh looked around, both shifting uncomfortably.

"Well, not that this hasn't been awkward," Josh finally piped up, "but we'd better be going."

"No, stay," Tommy insisted. "You guys are a part of this now, too."

"A part of what?" asked Mark.

"The fight for the Earth," replied Tommy. He headed toward the computer's main console and started typing in commands. "I've tried as hard as I could, but I just can't do it alone anymore. But you're going to need backup."

The computer began to hum and a panel started moving on the nearby table. A moment later, what looked to be an ordinary briefcase emerged from the table. Tommy opened the briefcase and held it out to the teens, the contents facing outward. Ray stepped forward to get a closer look; the case held five strange looking devices. Each device had an animal shape emblazoned on it.

"I give you Project X-Force," Tommy explained. "The X-Force project utilizes the elemental abilities of fire, water, ice, thunder, and wind to access the Morphin Grid and grant the user the ability to become a Power Ranger."

"Let me get this straight," said Josh, clearly still confused. "You want _us_, a bunch of _kids_, to become Power Rangers!?"

"We were also your age when we first became Rangers," Tommy assured him. "I have confidence in your abilities."

"Look, you have here a bunch of athletes and martial artists," Mark chimed in, "but I'm not a fighter, sir. I'm not strong, I can't fight, I'm practically useless here."

"You're not useless," said Tommy. "Every Ranger is unique in their own way. That's what makes them a team. You are, without a doubt, one of the smartest people I've ever met, Mark."

Mark blushed a little as Tommy turned his attention to Ray.

"Ray, step forward, and accept your destiny," he said. Ray hesitated a moment, but finally took a step forward and reached towards the case. The device in the middle, decorated with a red lion, began to glow. Ray picked it up and it attached itself to his wrist. He gazed at the device in awe.

"What is this thing?" he asked.

"This is your X-Force Morpher," replied Tommy. "Its power will grant you the ability to morph into a Power Ranger."

"Ray!" Kelly screamed, pointing at Ray's hand. He looked down and realized that somehow one of his hands had caught fire. He cried out in shock and began waving it around.

"Put it out! Put it out!" he shouted, looking around in panic. "Where's the sink? Someone find me some water!"

"Ray, calm down!" Tommy said loudly. "Feel the fire, it doesn't hurt. It's an extension of your fire powers."

Ray stopped for a moment, ran his hand through the flames coming from his other hand, and realized Tommy was right; the flames did not hurt at all.

"Ray," Tommy continued. "You will harness the power of fire to become the X-Force Red Ranger."

"How do I put this fire out?" Ray exclaimed, gesturing to his hand.

"Just calm your mind," replied Tommy. "Regain control of your power."

Ray closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and a moment later, the flames disappeared. Tommy turned to Josh. "Josh, step forward."

Josh stepped to Tommy as Ray stepped backward, still admiring the morpher on his wrist. As Josh reached towards the case, the morpher in the top right corner began to glow. This one was green and resembled an elephant. As the morpher attached itself to Josh's wrist, his hands began to expel an icy fog.

"Fascinating!" Mark said again, examining Josh's hands. "The output from your hands is similar to that of dry ice!"

"Gonna test it out on you if you don't back off, nerd!" Josh sneered, waving his hands near Mark's head. Mark ducked and covered his head.

"Careful!" Mark shouted. "Who knows how cold that fog can get!?"

"Enough!" Tommy said sharply. "We don't have time for this! Josh, you will harness the powers of ice to become the X-Force Green Ranger."

Josh took a deep breath and stepped backward as Amy stepped forward. She reached for the case and the morpher in the bottom left corner lit up. Her morpher was yellow and had a wolf design on it. She nervously bit her lip as the morpher attached itself to her wrist. Electric particles began to spark out of her fingers.

"You, Amy, will harness the powers of thunder and lightning to become the X-Force Yellow Ranger," said Tommy.

Amy let out a small giggle as the sparks died down. Tommy turned to Mark, who did not step forward.

"Your turn, Mark," Tommy insisted, but Mark shook his head.

"I'm not a fighter," he argued. "I'll just bring everyone down, like I did back there."

"The morpher will enhance you," Tommy explained. "Its powers will make up for your faults. Trust me, you're not going to bring anyone down, I promise."

Mark let out a deep sigh, then reached towards the case. The blue shark-designed morpher in the top left corner began to glow. He picked up the morpher and it attached itself to his wrist. He jumped a little.

"Mark, you will harness the power of water to become the X-Force Blue Ranger."

Mark gazed at his morpher in awe. "Me... the Blue Ranger? This is _unreal!_"

"How did the morphers pick us?" asked Ray. "I mean, it's like they _knew_ we would be the Power Rangers."

"They did," Tommy replied. "The morphers were designed to find worthy candidates whose qualities matched the elements they harness. Ray, you are strong, courageous, fierce like fire. Mark, you are smart, cunning, fluid as the sea. Josh, you are able to adapt to your situation, cool as ice. Amy, you can keep calm under pressure, able to make quick decisions, fast as lightning. Each of you was chosen for a reason."

Kelly looked at the case. Only one morpher remained, a pink one shaped like a bird. This one _had _to be for her! She reached towards it, and indeed the final morpher began to glow. But before she could grab it, the case suddenly snapped shut on her hand. She pulled her hand back quickly as though she had just been bitten by a snake. She looked up and realized her father was staring right at her.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "What about me?"

Tommy shook his head. "No."

"But, Dad-" she argued, but Tommy shook his head again.

"I said _no_, Kelly!" he said firmly. "I won't allow it!"

"You _can't_ be serious!" she growled.

"With all due respect, sir," said Ray. "Kelly is an amazing fighter."

"Yeah," Mark added. "She took down more of those robot things than all of us."

"I can't believe this!" Kelly shouted. "You're just treating me differently because I'm your daughter!"

Kimberly finally spoke. "Tommy, maybe we _should_ consider the possibility-"

"My decision is final!" Tommy exclaimed. "We're not discussing this any further. Kelly will _not_ be a Ranger!"

"This isn't fair!" Kelly cried, running up the stairs and through the door.

With a deep sigh, Tommy turned to the other four teens. "With these morphers, you will be able to take on this new threat. Work together as a team, and nothing can stop you."

General Gilder stood before the emperor but said nothing, afraid of the punishment his master surely had planned for him.

"You come before me having failed yet again," Midas growled.

"Please, sire, it wasn't my fault," Gilder begged. "I was attacked from the sky! The blast destroyed my Koronoids. Please, my Lord, I will not fail-"

"You have clearly lost your touch, Gilder," Midas said, his voice cool and menacing at the same time. "Perhaps I will need to summon warriors from my collection to get your job done, since it is such a difficult task for you. You were attacked from the sky, you say? What will you do about it?"

Gilder thought for a moment, then roared loudly, "_Dorax!_"

A short, squat creature appeared and bowed to both the emperor and Gilder. His eyes were covered by round goggles. His blue face sported a golden beard. He looked like a short, round, golden trash can. "Yes, General? How might I serve you?"

"Search this planet for any foreign objects orbiting it!" ordered Gilder. Dorax nodded and jumped onto the nearest computer. He typed in commands furiously and the scanners circuited a round icon that represented the Earth. After a moment, the computer started beeping and a red icon flashed on the screen.

"There appears to be some sort of satellite orbiting the planet," Dorax reported. "It seems to be armed as well."

"Destroy it, immediately!" commanded Gilder. "Let's see how these humans fare against me when they don't have their precious satellite!"

In a flash of golden light, Gilder disappeared.

"What do you know?" sneered Emperor Midas. "The brute has some brain after all."

A light near the Ranger Lab ceiling began to flash and the computer beeped loudly.

"What is that?" asked Josh, covering his ears.

"The alarm," Tommy said, taking Kimberly's seat at the computer as she stood up. He typed in a few commands and a view of outer space appeared on the screen. "It alerts us whenever there's trouble."

"Oh no," Kimberly gasped, looking at the screen.

"What is it?" asked Ray.

"We have a defense satellite orbiting the Earth," Kimberly explained. "It's how I was able to distract the general and get you guys out of that last battle."

"_Had_ a defense satellite," Tommy corrected. "It's been destroyed."

The alarm suddenly sounded again.

"What now?" asked Kimberly. Tommy typed more commands in the computer and the image on the screen changed to a view of downtown Angel Grove.

"It's that gold guy again!" Mark exclaimed, pointing. Kimberly looked and realized Mark was right; General Gilder had appeared on the screen, backed by yet another army of Koronoids.

"Jeez, how many of these robots does this guy have!?" Josh cried.

"This is your moment, guys," said Tommy. "I'll teleport you guys there, then you can morph if things get too rough."

"Um...not to sound stupid or anything..." Amy mumbled, looking at the device on her wrist, "but how do we turn these things on?"

"Push the button, then say 'X-Force, Energize!'," said Tommy shortly. "Good luck, Rangers, and may the power protect you."

He pushed a button on the console, and before any of the teens could ask more questions, they teleported out in a flash of light.

Kimberly walked over to the case, opened it, and picked up the fifth morpher. "Tommy, are you sure we shouldn't reconsider-"

"_No!_" Tommy said sharply, not taking his eyes off the computer screen. "We agreed to keep her out of this mess!"

"We also agreed about _this_, Tommy!" Kimberly spat, holding up the golden morpher Tommy had used earlier. "You didn't seem to have any issues breaking _that_ agreement!"

"She is our _daughter_, Kimberly!" Tommy shouted, turning the computer chair around to face her. "Our _child!_ Don't you understand that?"

"I do," replied Kimberly. "I also understand she's not a baby anymore, and is old enough to make her own choices! J.J. made his choice and you didn't react like this!"

"J.J. was trained!" exclaimed Tommy.

"We also trained Kelly in martial arts her _entire life_," Kimberly said, "just in case something like this were to happen! I don't like it any more than you do, Tommy, but I wouldn't be suggesting this if I didn't believe she could handle it!"

Tommy shook his head and turned back to the computer. "I don't have time for this!"

Kimberly glared at her husband. "No, of course you don't!" she growled under her breath, setting the golden morpher on the table next to him. "You never have time for anything anymore, do you?"

She looked down at the pink morpher in her hand, making her decision.

Gilder watched in delight as the Koronoids resumed the cleansing process. Lasers fired in every directions, buildings and cars were destroyed right and left.

"Those humans are worthless without their little satellite!" he sneered.

Suddenly, he heard a strange whooshing noise and when he turned around, four beams of multicolored light appeared and touched the ground. The beams were red, blue, green, and yellow. When the light cleared, the four teens stood in their place.

"Whoa, how did we do that?" asked Josh.

"Molecular teleportation is my guess," Mark said, shrugging.

"You again!" growled Gilder, raising his sword. "I destroyed your satellite! You have no more weapons to fight me with, humans!"

"You're wrong!" Ray exclaimed, holding up his wrist. He turned to Amy. "Ummm, what was it again? 'X-Force' something, right?"

"'X-Force, Activate!', I think," Amy replied with a shrug.

"I think it was 'Energize'," Mark said. "'X-Force, Energize'."

"That sounds right," said Ray. He held the morpher up to his mouth and said, very flatly, "Umm... X-Force, Energize."

Nothing happened. Gilder laughed wickedly. "_This_ is your secret weapon!?" he sneered. "Some fancy looking wristwear?"

"No," Ray said, shaking his wrist. He tried again. "X-Force, Energize."

Again, nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?" Ray exclaimed, hitting the morpher.

"I don't know!" Amy said, bracing herself as the Koronoids began to march towards them.

"Koronoids, attack!" roared Gilder. The Koronoids broke into a run right at the teens.

"X-Force, Ener-" Ray began again but before he could finish, a Koronoid tackled him. The teens began to fight. Josh grabbed a Koronoid by the arm and slung it around in a circle, launching it as though he were competing in the Olympic hammer throw. He looked down at his own morpher.

"Come on, Ray, haven't you ever read a comic book?" he exclaimed, kicking away another Koronoid. "The Power Rangers were superheroes. They were all about the posing and the... the _whoosh!_ movements!" he waved his arms around in various mock superhero poses.

Ray raised an eyebrow. A nearby Koronoid fired a laser at him, but he dodged and knocked it away with a spin kick.

"If you wanna _be_ a superhero, you gotta _pose_ like a superhero!" Josh cried out victoriously. "Ask the nerd, _he_ knows I'm right."

"Your suggestion seems highly improbable," Mark disagreed, shaking his head. "Didn't Dr. Oliver say something about pushing a button?"

Ray looked down and noticed a button on the eye of the lion design of his morpher. "You're right!" he exclaimed. "It was push the button, then say 'X-Force, Energize'!"

"-and _pose!_" Josh exclaimed. "Don't forget the pose! Do it like this!"

He pushed the button on his morpher, then crossed his arms in an X-shaped position as he cried loudly, "_X-Force, Energize!_"

The green morpher on his wrist began to glow and Josh's eyes lit up in delight.

"What is going on!?" Gilder cried. "What is that light!?"

"Yeah, baby!" Josh exclaimed. "I _told _you!"

His body began to change as an icy frost surrounded him. Gloves and boots appeared on his hands and feet. His clothes were replaced with a green and white suit with an X design on the chest. His head was covered with a green helmet with an intricate design of an elephant on it.

"_X-Force Green!_" he cried.

The light faded, and where Josh had been a moment ago, now stood a warrior in green and white. Josh had transformed into a Green Power Ranger. He looked at his hands in amazement.

"Oh, yeah!" he shouted victoriously. "That's what I'm _talking_ about!"

"Destroy him!" roared Gilder.

The Koronoids rushed at the Ranger, but Josh easily leaped over their heads and began to fight. He launched a flurry of punches and kicks at the robots, easily knocking them to the ground.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "I've never been able to fight like this before! I feel so... _powerful!_"

Ray looked at his own morpher. Before he could push the button, however, two Koronoids returned to their feet and rushed him. He flipped one and kicked away the other. Quickly, he pushed the button and struck the same pose Josh had. "_X-Force, Energize!_"

The morpher glowed and Ray was surrounded by a wall of fire. A suit similar to Josh's replaced his clothes, but this one was red. A red helmet with a lion design covered his head.

"_X-Force Red!_" he shouted. The fire subsided and Ray looked at his new suit. "Whoa... cool!"

"Another one!?" roared Gilder. "Attack!"

A group of Koronoids ran towards Ray, who launched three expert spin kicks in a row, sending six Koronoids to the ground instantly.

Amy pushed the button on her morpher, but had to quickly duck as a Koronoid came flying in her direction. Quickly, she crossed her arms and shouted, "_X-Force, Energize!_"

Her wolf-shaped morpher began to glow and she was surrounded by a field of lightning. A yellow suit similar to the others appeared in place of her outfit, and a yellow helmet designed like a wolf covered her head.

"_X-Force Yellow!_" she cried. The lightning cleared as three Koronoids rushed towards Amy. She spun and her foot swept all of the drones to the ground. As two more rushed to aid their fallen colleagues, Amy backflipped away with ease. She looked down at her hands.

"Wow, these powers are _amazing!_" she exclaimed.

Rather than fighting the Koronoids, Mark tried to run from them, but they flanked him in every direction.

"Umm, guys?" he called out.

"Just do the same thing we did!" Josh shouted back, fighting off four more Koronoids.

"I don't think I can!" Mark called back. Two drones launched punches but Mark ducked and rolled between them. Two more Koronoids grabbed him by the arms, however, and threw him against the nearby wall.

"You have to morph, Mark!" called Amy.

"Just remember, push the button and say 'X-Force, Energize'!" Ray called. "The powers will make you stronger, I promise! They did for us."

"And don't forget the pose!" Josh added.

Mark looked anxiously around at the Koronoids surrounding him. With a shaky breath, he pressed the button on the eye of the shark, ducked an oncoming Koronoid kick, then crossed his arms and shouted nervously, "_X-Force, Energize!_"

Geysers of water shot up from the ground and surrounded Mark as his morpher glowed. His clothes were replaced by a blue and white suit, and his head was covered by a blue helmet designed like a shark.

"_X-Force Blue!_" he called out.

The water disappeared and the Rangers gathered together.

"Excellent job, Mark!" Ray exclaimed, patting Mark on the shoulder.

"Enough!" cried Gilder, pushing away the nearest Koronoid. "Who do you think you are, anyway!?"

"Thought you'd never ask!" Ray said. "With the Power of Fire! X-Force Red Ranger!"

"With the Power of Water! X-Force Blue Ranger!" cried Mark.

"With the Power of Ice! X-Force Green Ranger!" shouted Josh.

"With the Power of Thunder! X-Force Yellow Ranger!" Amy called out.

"Power Rangers!" Ray shouted.

"X-Force!" they all cried together.

Gilder laughed maniacally. "What was that supposed to be!? Some sort of team dance? Are you planning to defeat me in song!?"

"That did feel kind of weird," Mark admitted.

"I thought it was cool!" Josh said.

"Me too," Ray agreed. "It just feels like it's missing something."

Gilder raised his sword high. "Prepare yourselves, puny children!" he cried as he rushed towards them.

"How are we going to fight this guy?" asked Josh.

"Wait," said Ray as words appeared across his visor. "I think Dr. O. is sending us some kind of weapons file or something."

He examined the visor as the words PYRO SWORD appeared underneath an image of a sword. Shrugging, Ray decided to try it out. "Uhhh... _Pyro Sword!_"

Flames surrounded his hands and, a moment later, a sword appeared in his hand. "Cool!" he exclaimed. He held up the sword just in time to block Gilder's oncoming assault.

As Ray and Gilder clashed swords, a group of Koronoids charged the other Rangers. They fought back as words appeared across their visors as well.

"_Blizzard Lance!_" Josh cried as a lance appeared in his hand, slashing away the droids closest to him.

"Ummmm... _Hydro Axe_?" Mark called out, a little unsure. As a Koronoid leapt towards him, an axe appeared in his hands and Mark swung, slashing away the Koronoid and the three behind it.

Gilder kicked Ray aside and charged at Amy.

"Amy, look out!" Ray shouted. Amy spun and saw the general charging at her, sword held high. As the weapon came swinging down, Amy crossed her arms in a block position.

"_Lightning Tonfa!_" she cried, the weapons appearing a moment later. She blocked Gilder's strike and kicked him square in the chest. He slid backwards, but advanced again a second later. She ducked the attack and backflipped away. Ray slashed his sword across Gilder's back. The general roared in pain and spun, swinging his sword and knocking Ray to the ground.

"Man, this guy is strong!" Ray exclaimed, scrambling back to his feet, hoping this whole adventure hadn't been one giant mistake.

Kelly sat on her bed, staring out the window. Somewhere out there in Angel Grove, there was a new team of Power Rangers fighting to save the Earth, and she couldn't be part of it because Daddy didn't want his little girl to get hurt.

There was a knock on the door.

"Hey," Kimberly said, opening the door a crack. "Can I come in?"

Kelly shrugged. "Whatever."

Kimberly entered the bedroom and closed the door. "I know you're upset with your father, but you have to understand-"

"What I _understand_," Kelly said, "is that my father has been lying to me my entire life, hiding secrets, and now that I want to be a part of it, he starts trying to be all strict and forbidding!"

"Your dad just wants to protect you, sweetheart," Kimberly said, sitting down next to her daughter and putting her arm around her. "He wants you to be safe. I know it seems like he's being unreasonable, but your father just wants what's best for you."

"Yet the safety of the _others_ doesn't seem to matter to him!" Kelly shot back. "Or his _own_ safety for that matter!"

"It's true, your father does have a tendency to ignore his own safety," Kimberly admitted, "but his heart is in the right place. He just wants what's best for his family, the city, and the Earth."

"So do I!" exclaimed Kelly. "Why don't I deserve the same chance as anyone else to try my hardest to protect the Earth? I just want to help people."

"I know, honey," Kimberly said. "You have a heart of gold, you care so much for people, even strangers you've never met. It's one of the greatest qualities you inherited from your father."

"Then _why!?_" Kelly begged. "Why don't _I_ deserve the same chance as Amy, or Ray, or-"

"You do," Kimberly replied quickly. "You're right, sweetie. You _do _deserve that chance. Your father may not agree because he is lost in his own beliefs, but I believe in you. That's why I brought this."

She held out the pink bird-shaped morpher. It began to glow as Kimberly held it towards Kelly.

"Take it," Kimberly said. "Go and help your friends. Become the Pink Ranger and protect the Earth, like you were always destined to."

"What about Dad?" Kelly asked as the morpher attached itself to her wrist.

"_I'll_ deal with your father," Kimberly assured her. "Now go, and may the power protect you."

Kelly nodded and ran out to join the battle. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. "Umm... how am I going to get there?" she asked.

"Just get a running start," said Kimberly. "I'll teleport you there as soon as I can."

Having defeated the Koronoids, Josh and Mark joined Ray and Amy in their clash against General Gilder. But the general was very strong, and despite his brawny size, also very fast. He swung his sword and slashed away the Red and Yellow Rangers. The Blue Ranger swung his axe, but the axe was rather heavy and Mark was having slight trouble maneuvering it. Gilder easily ducked and kicked the Ranger away. Josh swung his lance, but Gilder blocked it, sweeping Josh's feet out from under him and kicking him. Josh slid across the ground and was caught by Ray and Amy.

"You puny Rangers have no chance against me!" Gilder cried out.

Ray charged at the general and thrust his sword forward, but Gilder caught it by the blade and flipped Ray over his head.

"Pitiful!" the general shouted as he slashed at Ray with both swords. Sparks flew from Ray's chest as he fell to the ground.

"Ray!" cried Josh.

"This guy's too strong!" Mark exclaimed. "It's over! We're finished!"

"Not quite yet!" cried a voice behind them. Amy gasped as someone flipped over her head and kicked the general away from Ray.

"_Kelly!?_" she exclaimed. Kelly turned and smiled.

"Mind if I crash the party?" she said, turning back to Gilder.

Tommy couldn't believe what he was seeing. He turned to Kimberly, who had returned a few minutes ago and started pushing buttons on the console. However, when he had asked her about it, she'd told him she was scanning the city for more threats. Wide-eyed, Tommy ran to the morpher case and opened it, only to find it was empty.

"_No!_" shouted Tommy.

"It is her _destiny_, Tommy!" Kimberly exclaimed. "I can't deny it any longer, and neither can you!"

"I _forbid _it!" Tommy cried angrily.

Kimberly gestured to the computer screen. "A little late for that."

Tommy returned to the computer, letting out an angry huff. "Do you realize what you've done!?"

"I'm doing the same thing you should be doing!" Kimberly said. "I'm trusting our daughter! I'm _choosing_ to have faith in her training and her abilities!"

Tommy looked at the image of his daughter on the screen.

"She'll be fine, Tommy," Kimberly said, a little softer, as she put her hand on her husband's shoulder. "Trust her. She just wants your approval. She wants the same thing you do, to help people and protect the Earth."

"You think you stand a chance against me, child!?" Gilder sneered.

"Alone, no, but with _this_," Kelly said calmly, holding up her morpher, "and the help of my friends, I think that might do it."

Ray stood and rejoined the other Rangers. "Kelly, don't forget to push the button and say-"

Kelly held up her hand to silence him. With a grin, she said, "Don't worry. I've got this."

She pushed a button, crossed her arms, and shouted, "_X-Force, Energize!_"

A cyclone began to surround Kelly. Her hands and feet were covered by the same gloves and boots her friends wore. Her clothes transformed into a pink and white Ranger suit, and a pink helmet with an intricate bird design covered her head.

"_X-Force Pink!_" she cried.

"Cool!" Josh exclaimed.

"Go, Kelly!" cried Amy victoriously.

"With the Power of Wind! X-Force Pink Ranger!" Kelly shouted. The last remaining Koronoids charged at Kelly. She leapt into the air, spinning in circles. She reached into the side holster on her belt and pulled out a blaster, shooting the robots down. When she landed, two Koronoids returned to their feet and rushed at her. She ducked as one threw a punch, then kicked away the other one. Suddenly, an image of a bow and arrow appeared inside her visor, with the words SKY BOW underneath.

"_Sky Bow!_" she cried, as a bow appeared in her hand. As a few more Koronoids got back up, she began firing arrows at them. Each arrow hit one of the robots square in the chest, causing them to fall again.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Gilder roared, angrily thrusting his sword and running the blade through the last remaining Koronoid. In a rage, he charged at Kelly like a mad bull. Kelly leapt backwards, firing arrows as she flew through the air. Gilder slashed away the arrows with his sword. Ray took this opportunity to charge at the general with his own sword. Mark and Josh advanced behind him. Gilder's sword met all three weapons and the four were caught in a lock. Amy backflipped over the boys and began to attack Gilder from behind with her tonfa. The general tried to turn around but his sword was being held in a lock with the other weapons, especially Mark's axe.

"_Rangers, can you hear me?_" came a voice from inside their helmets.

"Dr. O.?" Ray gasped, looking around. "Where are you?"

"_There's a communicator inside your helmet,_" Tommy explained. "_Kimberly and I are contacting you from Ranger Lab._"

"Dad, I know you don't want me to be here," said Kelly, "but if you'll let me explain-"

"_We'll talk about it at home, Kelly,_" Tommy replied flatly. "_Right now, you need to focus on defeating the enemy. Combine your weapons together to form the X-Force Blaster_."

Gilder took advantage of the Rangers' distraction and kicked Ray in the chest, knocking him back into Mark and Josh, and the three boys fell backward to the ground. He raised his sword to strike, but Kelly fired her arrows, pushing him away from the boys. Amy ran to Kelly's side and together, the girls rushed at the general. Ray, Josh, and Mark got to their feet. Josh held his lance up against Mark's axe.

"Um, how do we combine the weapons?" he asked.

Kelly spun away as Gilder swung his sword at her. Amy advanced forward and launched a high kick to Gilder's face.

"_Throw your weapons into the air to combine them_," Tommy instructed.

"Right!" Kelly nodded. She threw her bow skyward. It sailed through the air, hit a nearby wall, then clattered to the ground. "Okay... ummmm, that didn't work."

"_You have to _hold_ the weapons in the air with your wind powers, Kelly_," Tommy said.

Kelly felt a little embarrassed as she ran over to her bow, picked it up, and prepared to try again.

"_Sky Bow!_" she cried, throwing the bow into the air again. This time, however, she focused all of her energy into her palms and managed to summon her powers to catch the bow midair.

"I did it!" she cheered.

"_Hydro Axe!_" Mark shouted, hurling the axe towards the bow. The top of the axe attached itself to the bottom of Kelly's bow. "Look! They're combining!"

"This is _so _cool!" exclaimed Kelly.

Amy jumped away from Gilder as Ray and Josh took her place, clashing their weapons with the general's sword.

"_Lightning Tonfa!_" she cried, launching the weapons towards Kelly. The tonfa attached to the bow like miniature side cannons.

Gilder used his massive size and strength to push back Ray and Josh. Ray spun and swept Gilder's feet as Josh backflipped away. He hurled the lance towards the other weapons like a javelin. However, the lance did not combine with the others. Instead it sailed through the air and crashed into a nearby window, breaking the glass.

"Oops!" Josh exclaimed. "Dr. O., what did I do wrong?"

"_The Blizzard Lance can separate into two pieces_," replied Tommy. "_You have to split the lance to combine it with the other weapons._"

Josh ran over, picked up the lance, and twisted it. The weapon came apart in the middle. "Cool!" he said.

"Any day now, Josh!" shouted Ray, struggling to dodge Gilder's furious swings.

"I don't know how much longer I can hold it!" Kelly exclaimed, her palms beginning to shake.

"_Hang on, Kelly,_" Tommy said, a comforting tone in his voice. "_You're almost there!_"

"Let's try this again!" cried Josh. "_Blizzard Lance!_"

He threw the two halves into the air, and they locked into place next to Amy's weapons.

"Hurry, Ray!" exclaimed Kelly, her hands shaking. The weapon began to wobble in midair as Kelly struggled to keep it afloat. "I'm slipping!"

Ray ducked Gilder's sword and leapt high into the air.

"_Pyro Sword!_" Ray shouted, attaching his sword to the top of the bow.

The Rangers aimed their new combined weapon at the general. "_X-Force Blaster!_" they all cried together. "_Fire!_"

The blast fired from the cannon and headed straight for Gilder. He let out a roar of fury as the blast hit him directly in the chest. There was a loud explosion and for a moment, it looked as though Gilder was gone. However, when the smoke cleared, Gilder was still standing, his hand clutched over his broken chest armor. His eyes were livid.

"What!?" exclaimed Ray.

"How did he survive that?" asked Kelly.

"I swear to you, humans, you will pay for this!" Gilder growled furiously. "The Midas Empire _will _conquer this world, and you pathetic children will be the shining example of what happens to those who cross the great emperor!"

In a flash of golden light, he disappeared.

"Man, does that guy _ever_ shut up?" laughed Josh.

"Yeah," agreed Amy. "He was all like, 'Fear the Empire! The Empire will take over the world! Blah blah blah!'"

Amy and Josh both began to laugh hysterically.

"Even if he talks a lot," Mark said, sounding more concerned than amused, "he still is extremely strong."

"I agree," said Ray. "We haven't seen the last of him."

"But, on the plus side," said Kelly, "the longer we keep being Power Rangers, the more we'll learn and the stronger _we'll_ get too."

"If your dad will _let _you keep being a Power Ranger, you mean," said Amy. Kelly shot a glare towards her but said nothing.

"Let's get back to Ranger Lab," said Ray. The others nodded in agreement as Ray called Tommy on the communicator. "Dr. O., can you teleport us back to the lab?"

A few seconds later, their bodies were surrounded by red, blue, green, yellow, and pink light. The next moment, they were back in the lab again.

"Welcome back, Rangers," Kimberly said with a warm smile.

"You have failed, Gilder," Midas growled. "It has been many centuries since any locals have gotten the better of you. I dare say you're losing your touch, General."

"Please forgive me, sire," Gilder begged. "I underestimated the humans' power. It appears this _is_ a warrior race, after all."

"They are not a warrior race," the emperor said coolly, "but they do know how to fight off outside influence. These are the most dangerous types, the ones who claim they are 'protecting their planet from evil', not realizing that it is _we_ who are the superior beings, and by joining us, they're only helping make their world better, stronger, worthy of existing in this universe. It seems I may have to turn to my collection after all."

The emperor stood and headed toward the nearby wall. He placed his palm on the nearby scanner and the wall slid up to reveal a small spiral stairwell. Midas started down the stairs, Gilder following behind him. When they reached the foot of the stairs, another door slid open and the dark room was instantly filled with noise. There were several voices talking, shouting, arguing, laughing, some making the strangest noises without actually speaking.

"SILENCE!" roared Gilder, and the room fell silent. "Address your master!"

"_All hail Emperor Midas!_" the voices all shouted in unison.

"Warriors!" Midas announced, his voice booming. "Your time has come at last. The moment when you finally prove your worth to the Empire! Prepare yourselves to face the enemy! Our latest target planet has proven itself most challenging against our general."

Gilder hung his head low in shame.

"I mean, look at what those itty bitty children did to poor Gilder's armor," Midas sneered sarcastically, gesturing to the large cracked hole in the general's chest armor.

Several of the warriors laughed hysterically. Gilder growled at them furiously.

"General Gilder, defeated by children?" one of the warriors said.

"Maybe his time as general is coming to an end," said another.

"It's okay, Gilder," said a third, failing to hide his uncontrollable laughter. "I'm sure one of the Koronoids can take out those toddlers for you."

Two nearby Koronoids looked at each other in confusion and shrugged.

"Yeah, General," laughed a fourth warrior, "how's it feel getting stuck on babysitting duty?"

The room broke out into a roar of uncontrollable laughter. Gilder was livid.

"_Shut up or I'll destroy each and every one of you!_" he snarled. The emperor placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"They're just having some fun with you, General," he said calmly. "They will clean up your mess. Leave these... _Power Rangers_, weren't they called... to the Midas Warriors. One of them is sure to be victorious."

He returned to his throne room as Gilder stood in the Room of Warriors, seething at the thought of one of these warriors stealing his glory.

"How do you feel?" Kimberly asked the Power Rangers.

"I've never felt such power," Mark said, admiring the suit.

"That was so wicked!" Josh cried. "The way we fought the robots, then pulled out those cool weapons..."

"...then you broke a window," teased Amy. Josh hung his head low and Amy could tell that under that green helmet, he was blushing bright red.

"Sir," Ray said, addressing Tommy. "How do we turn these things off?"

Tommy chuckled. "Hold down the button you pushed to morph and say, 'Power Down'."

Together, all five Rangers pushed their morphers and said, "_Power Down!_"

"You all did well today, Rangers," Tommy said. "I'm very proud of you."

"All _five_ of you," Kimberly added, winking at Kelly. Tommy glared at his wife. Kelly, meanwhile, was purposely avoiding her father's eyes.

"Daddy," she said quietly, "I'm sorry I disobeyed you. You have to understand, though, I-"

Tommy held up his hand and she instantly fell silent.

"I told you that you were not allowed to take that morpher," he said firmly. "You took it anyway. You used it, you morphed into the Pink Ranger, and you put yourself in danger to fight evil."

Kelly looked down in shame as her father added, "And you proved me wrong."

Her eyes darted back up. "Really?" she gasped.

"You proved yourself capable of handling the pressures and the responsibilities of being a Power Ranger. I still may not agree with this, but your mother is right. You have earned your place on the team, Kelly. There is no one who could be a better Pink X-Force Ranger than you. I just want you to promise me that you'll be extremely careful out there on the field."

She nodded eagerly and hugged Tommy. "I will. Thank you so much, Dad!"

"I will help you when I can," Tommy continued, turning to the other four teens, "but the fate of the world lies on _your _shoulders now, Rangers. I believe in you with the utmost confidence. I only ask that you follow three basic rules. First, never use your power for personal gain. Second, never escalate a battle unless your enemy forces you. And finally, keep your identity a secret. No one may know you are a Power Ranger. Can I count on you guys?"

The five teens nodded.

"Then welcome to my world," Tommy said proudly, "and May the Power Protect You."

Ray turned to the other Rangers. "Guys, I know we come from different backgrounds, I know we're not all friends here. But we are a team now, part of something much greater than ourselves. I'm willing to do this if the rest of you are."

He held out his hand. Josh put his hand on top of Ray's. Kelly put her hand out next, setting it on top of Josh's. Mark hesitated, but put his hand on next.

"I don't know, guys," Amy said suddenly, "I mean, being a super hero is cool and all that, but its kind of hard to fight wearing that helmet and my hair is a total mess inside. And I'm sure Mark doesn't appreciate his glasses fogging up inside the helmet, right? Sorry, guys, I don't think I can do it."

Kelly looked crushed. "But... but, Amy..."

Amy gave a mischievous smirk and threw her hand on top of Mark's. "Gotcha! Man, you're gullible! I'm definitely in!"

Kimberly smiled warmly. "Some things never change."

Tommy put his arm around his wife. "Just like old times."

Together, the five teens threw their hands into the air and cried, "_POWER RANGERS!_"

**END**


End file.
